Came a Long Way
by DivineFawn
Summary: Mark steps in to help a green-haired stranger from an uncomfortable situation at a bar. Septiplier.


"Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Mark scoffed, rolling his eyes fondly at his friends' antics.

Despite it being 'guys night out', Mark wasn't really wasn't feeling it. It had been a long day, and for once he had even tried to get ahead on his recording and film several videos in advance for the upcoming convention down in San Diego. It was exhausting work, but definitely worth it in the long run. For now, it was time to try and unwind with the guys.

Meaning, sitting there watching his friends make fools of themselves.

Even though he couldn't drink, it was still fun to hang out with Bob and Wade and watch them get absolutely shitfaced. Mark chuckled, lifting his alcohol free iced tea to his lips while Wade tried his impression of Bob's wife. Bob laughed good-naturedly and tipped back his head, downing another shot.

The bar was almost deafeningly loud, and Mark tried to tune out the distant chatter and rowdy discussions of the other bar goers. The little ring of the bell signalled the door opening, and Mark curiously turned just in time to see a new man enter. Mark tried and failed to keep his jaw from dropping. The man was downright _handsome,_ all lithe frame and lanky limbs and wild green hair and bright blue eyes –

"Mark?"

Mark whipped his head around at the sound of his name. "What?" he asked, a touch too quickly.

Bob raised a brow, but said nothing more, choosing instead to look just over Mark's shoulder. Mark turned slowly to his left, heart skipping a beat with the realization that the newcomer had chosen to sit next to _him._

"I'll take a whiskey," the stranger said to the bartender, earning a nod from the man in response.

Mark picked up an Irish accent, and he turned to face front again so he could watch the other man out of the corner of his eye. Barstools the same height, the man sat just a little shorter than Mark. He was dressed casually, a graphic tee adorning his chest and a worn pair of jeans at his hips. The sides of his head, not green, were peppered with white, though not from old age. He was definitely young, perhaps a bit younger than Mark, and there was an adorable crinkle to his eyes as he smiled his thanks to the bartender.

Suddenly Mark realized that the man was staring back at him with a slight frown. "Is there something on my face?"

Mark jerked backwards and felt his face heat with shame. He had _definitely_ just been caught staring. Wade and Bob's laughter sounded from his right. "No… Sorry."

 _Come on Mark! Say something!_ His inner voice willed him to say more, but Mark bit his lip. He was definitely more than a little out of practice with flirting or trying to pick up people at bars. So out of practice that he'd never tried it before. At least on a _guy_ , anyways, and one as attractive as this was making him unusually nervous.

With a shrug of indifference, the man looked away and grabbed his newly placed drink, taking a quick sip. Mark tried not to watch the steady bob of his adam's apple as he drank the liquid down.

Mark opened his mouth to finally say something, an introduction or anything really to try to make conversation, but he quickly shut it again when a much larger man sat on the stranger's other side. He was tall and thick, muscled in a way that said 'I work out every day and drink nothing but beer and protein shakes'. He had tattoos running up and down his arms, some plain black and others colored. He had short, well kept hair, but it was greying with age. A thick handlebar mustache sat right above his lip like a furry caterpillar. His face was kept at a neutral expression, though his eyes betrayed his interest. They were directed at the green-haired stranger, and Mark bristled at the way they openly combed over the younger man's body with lust.

"Hey there, can I get you a drink?" Mustache's voice was rough, and by the way he swayed slightly in his seat, Mark could tell the man was drunk.

Mark tuned out Bob and Wade's ridiculous argument about cucumbers, choosing instead to keep an ear out for the others' conversation.

"No thanks, I already got one." The green-haired man politely declined, raising his own whiskey to show it off.

Mustache's dark eyes hardened. "Come on, baby, just one drink?"

"Uh," the younger stumbled over his words, clearly flustered at being called 'baby' and trying figure out how to refuse the other man without angering him.

Without even listening to the other's rejection, the older man raised his arm to the bartender, ordering a drink for the younger. "Don't worry, I'll get you something real good," he laughed loudly, cackling in a way that made Mark's skin crawl. He chanced a glance at the green haired man, who sat uncomfortably with a worried expression. Mark bit at his lip again before deciding _fuck it._

"That was such a long day," Mark said with awkward wording, turning enough to his left to make it obvious he was talking to the green-haired man. It did the trick in any case, as the worried guy turned to him, eyes widening a bit in surprise. "How was work for you?"

"Um," the smaller man paused, before finally seeing where Mark was going with this. "Good! I got off early so I could go to the airport. My flight could have been better, but it's good to finally see you again." He smiled, and Mark felt his heartbeat pick up, though a small voice reminded him that this was just part of the act.

Regardless, Mark returned the smile with one of his own. "I know. I've missed you, hun." He threw the pet name in there just to see how the other would react, and it was priceless. His face reddened , and he opened and closed his mouth in rapid succession like a fish gasping for air.

"Excuse me," Mustache fixed Mark with a hard glare. "But what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Mark's eyes narrowed marginally. "I should be asking you that. Are you trying to hit on my boyfriend?"

That question got everyone's attention. The green-haired stranger's bushy eyebrows shot into his hairline in surprise, Bob and Wade pointedly halted their discussion, and Mustache's glare hardened.

"This bitch already taken?" Mustache asked with a raised brow, and the green haired man flinched at the derogatory term.

Mark ground his teeth and nodded.

"Shame," Mustache said with a reluctant sigh, getting up from his barstool. "I was looking for a good fuck."

Mark watched him go before finally turning his attention back to the younger man, setting a hopefully calming hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he choked out. He didn't sound okay.

Mark frowned and started rubbing the stranger's back in a soothing circle. He could feel small tremors wracking the younger's frame, and Mark felt his heart tighten in sympathy. After a few more moments of the wordless rubbing, the man took a deep, shaky breath.

"Man, America is just like Ireland," he let out a humorless laugh and Mark grimaced at the sound. This guy obviously had some bad memories from his home country.

"I'm Mark," he said softly, choosing to ignore the elephant in the room as well as Bob and Wade's intense stares from his other side. "And you?"

"Jack," he replied, looking up again with hardening eyes and a tight-lipped smile. He seemed to be willing something away, but it wasn't Mark's place to question him about his past.

Mark smiled slightly, small but sincere. "Nice to meet you."

Jack nodded, expression relaxing into something more natural. "Likewise. Thanks for that, by the way."

"No problem," Mark replied, smile widening a touch. "Though it must happen to you a lot. You're pretty cute."

A choking sound startled Mark to his right, which was Wade sputtering on his beer. Bob smacked the other's back as he coughed loudly. Mark merely rolled his eyes, before realizing the implications of his words. Here he was, helping a guy out who had just been hit on, and now Mark was hitting on him too? What was wrong with him, Jack must be upset and–

Jack snorted from his left, and Mark turned with surprise to see the Irishman tipping his head back in hearty laughter. Apparently, his poor attempt at flirting hadn't been nearly enough to upset him. Just enough to make him laugh. Mark felt a twinge of embarrassment, feeling a rising need to escape the entire situation and pretend it never happened.

Eventually Jack settled down, wiping the mirth from his bright blue eyes. "Thanks for that too. Sorry for laughing, though. Couldn't help it." His smile was sheepish, showing some regret, and Mark relaxed again. "Could say the same to you, though. You're pretty cute, too."

This time it was Mark who choked on his drink. Jack raised his arm and patted the other's back with another laugh, cheeky grin in falling into place. Mark decided he liked that look on the other. He grabbed a napkin, wiping off the bit of his tea that had managed to escape his lips. He didn't miss the way Jack's eyes tracked the movement, a pink tongue darting out to wet at his own lips. Mark flushed slightly, averting his eyes again. Wade and Bob gave Mark encouraging smiles before grabbing their respective drinks and heading off to the booths to give Mark and Jack some space.

The sound of glass clinking on wood made Mark turn just in time to see Jack set down his empty glass at the bar. Mark saw his opportunity, and took it. "So I know it didn't work out so well for the last guy, but can I get you a drink?"

This made Jack scoff, but his expression was curious and open. "Sure."

Mark flashed his pearly whites, then turning to signal to the bartender for another whiskey. "So what are you doing over here in LA? You've obviously come a long way from home," Mark questioned, one because he needed to make conversation, and two, he was genuinely curious. If Jack's hair wasn't enough, his obvious accent made him stand out. He could only hope that the worried expression from earlier wouldn't find its way back into Jack's face. He looked much better smiling.

"Came out here for a convention, but since I barely leave Ireland I decided to make it a week and a half vacation." To Mark's relief, Jack's expression had remained neutral. When the other mentioned the convention, Mark did perk up a bit.

"Which convention?" Mark asked with rising hope. "Would it happen to be Comic-Con?"

Jack blinked, obviously surprised. "How did you know?"

Both quieted for a moment as the bartender delivered Jack his new drink, who accepted it with a grateful smile. He was just taking a sip when Mark replied. "I'll be going there next week, too."

The lopsided grin that spread across Jack's face was adorable as he replied, "That's awesome! I'm really excited to go. I got here early to do some sight-seeing since I've never been to the states…" Jack, seemingly comfortable enough with Mark, launched into an overly enthusiastic explanation of all the places he was going to visit while staying in California. Mark smiled fondly at the display. Jack was clearly an outgoing and animated person, if his smiling face and wide hand gestures were anything to go by. Seeming to catch himself, Jack reeled himself back in with a self-conscious smile bordering on embarrassment. "Sorry. Tend to get caught up in things, ya know?"

Mark opened his mouth to reply that it was fine, that he didn't mind at all, but Jack continued.

"Besides, you live here so you've probably already seen these places a bunch of times. Must be boring to hear a tourist talk about it all, right?"

Mark frowned. "No, not at all." This seemed to startle Jack, who turned to the other with eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. "I've lived here a while, so everything has just become normal to me. It's refreshing to hear a new point of view. It's nice," Mark finished with a reassuring smile and Jack seemed to relax again.

Their conversation continued from there, Jack settling back down and opening up more once he realized that Mark genuinely wanted to hear him talk. And talk he did.

"Everything's so busy here, though!" Jack exclaimed with exasperation. "People are just _everywhere!"_

"Let me guess," Mark drawled, using his straw to stir his iced tea. "You don't live in a big city, do you?"

"Was it that obvious?" Jack laughed. "Athlone is pretty small. Especially compared to this place."

"Well, if you want," Mark started, fiddling with his straw again in a sudden bout of nervousness, "I can show you around the city. Like major attractions and the best places to eat and stuff."

Blinking slowly, Jack's expression lit up briefly before settling into something more calm, more _sensual._ "Why Mark, are ye asking me out on a date?"

Mark's heartbeat was out of control at this point, pounding wildly in his chest. This was uncharted territory here, so he decided to test the waters. "And if I was, would you say yes?"

Jack's eyes narrowed playfully. In lieu of reply, he leaned towards Mark, mouth closing nearing his ear. Mark shivered as warm breath danced across the cartilage of his ear, though Jack said nothing, only giving a slight huff of laughter before retreating again. Mark stared at the other in confusion before he saw the device in Jack's hands. _Oh._ Jack had leaned over and reached for Mark's phone, which had been in his back pocket…

Mark stuttered nervously, feeling a rising heat to his cheeks. Jack handed him back his phone after a moment, a phone number typed on the screen.

"I have to get back to the hotel, but give me a call in the morning, yeah?"

Mark nodded dumbly, at a complete loss for words.

Jack stood up from the barstool, grabbing his backpack and slipping it on. He then stepped closer to Mark, leaning into his ear once more. "Thanks for the drink, too," he whispered, and pressed a gentle kiss to Mark's cheek. Then he was walking away with a flirty sway to his hips, and Mark was left alone, holding his cheek in amazement and disbelief as Bob and Wade bounded up to him, clapping him on the shoulder and ruffling his floofy hair, having obviously seen the display.

Mark would definitely be giving him a call the next morning.


End file.
